Who Can New England Patriots Offense Rely on Down the Stretch?

This year's incarnation of the New England Patriots has been a bit different than the teams we've seen in recent years. This hasn't been a well-balanced team capable of winning games in all three phases. The defense, while improving, has been a liability.

Through eight games, the Patriots defense is ranked dead-last in both passing yardage (295.5 per game) and total yardage (417.0 per game) allowed. New England has adopted a bend-but-don't-break style of defense to help cut down on opposing scoring, which is now down to 22.4 points per game—16th in the NFL.

The Patriots defense is no longer embarrassingly bad, but it isn't going to dominate games, either. This means New England is going to have to lean on its offense if it wants to get back to another Super Bowl.

This isn't the biggest challenge in the world, as the Patriots have a dynamic offense that is regularly among the best in the NFL. Even without Julian Edelman and with no workhorse running back, the Patriots still rank first in offensive yardage (411.1 per game) and seventh in scoring (27.0 points per game). They're going to have to be even better, though, to match points with the elite teams in the NFL down the stretch.

So who can the Patriots rely on the rest of the way offensively? Aside from the usual suspects—Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski—that's exactly what we're going to examine here.

Dion Lewis

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The Patriots deserve credit for sticking with the run as much as they have this season. Despite averaging just 3.9 yards per carry as a team, New England has tried to remain balanced on offense. They currently rank 15th in the NFL with 221 attempts.

The Patriots don't have a bell-cow back and have instead relied on a committee of running backs. The results have been mixed.

Mike Gillislee was widely expected to be the team's lead back when the season began. He was the only one with more than 100 carries in a single season coming into the year, and he did receive a two-year, $6.4 million contract to come over from the Buffalo Bills.

However, Gillislee is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry on the season. With him struggling, New England has begun to give a larger workload to utility back Dion Lewis. They need to continue doing so.

Lewis leads all running backs with a 4.7 yards-per-carry average. He's racked up 271 yards and two touchdowns on his 58 carries this season.

Of course, Lewis isn't just a runner. He's also amassed 58 yards on 10 receptions and has returned 11 kickoffs for an average of 24.2 yards per return.

The Patriots should continue utilizing Lewis in the passing and return games because of his explosiveness. However, they should be leaning on him even more in the running game in order to help bring more balance to the offense.

James White

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While adding more Lewis to the offense should be a priority, the Patriots shouldn't shy away from running back James White. Not only can he be a nice piece of the rushing attack—he's averaging a steady 4.3 yards per carry—White helps make the short-passing game go.

White actually leads the Patriots 43 receptions this season, amassing 365 yards and a touchdown.

White isn't going to completely replace Edelman, whose potency in the short-to-intermediate passing game was such a huge piece of the Patriots offense. However, he can be one of Brady's top targets in five- and six-yard situations. He can do so out of the backfield or while playing in the slot and split wide.

White's versatility is why the New England offense can and should rely on him down the stretch.

Danny Amendola

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One guy who can help replace Edelman's role in the short-to-intermediate game is ninth-year man Danny Amendola.

Is Amendola as good as Edelman? No. Does Brady trust him as much? Probably not.

Amendola is a similar player, though, in the sense that he is quick in and out of his breaks and moves well in space. Like Edelman, Amendola can wreak havoc on a defense if he gets into the middle of the field matched up with linebackers or safeties.

So far this season, Amendola has 338 yards and a touchdown on 31 receptions.

Amendola is more of a role player in New England's offense—he has just one start in seven appearances—but he's been playing a large role. He's seen 42.8 percent of New England's offensive snaps this season, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

Amendola might be New England's No. 3 wideout, but he's a darn good No. 3 to have, and the Patriots should keep looking to him in critical situations.

Brandin Cooks

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While the Patriots have been using various pieces to help replace Edelman's role in the offense, offseason acquisition Brandin Cooks has helped boost the deep-passing game all by himself. He currently leads the team with 563 yards on just 33 receptions, and he has three touchdowns.

In addition to being a dangerous downfield producer, the threat of Cooks striking deep has helped back off opposing defenses and open routes underneath for other pass-catchers.

Just consider the fact that among players with at least 20 receptions, Cooks' 17.1 yards-per-reception average ranks fourth in the NFL. Among players with at least 15 receptions, it ranks sixth. Cooks also ranks 10th in the NFL in total receiving yards.

Along with Gronkowski, Cooks gives the Patriots two big-play weapons that opposing teams have to account for. The Patriots need to continue throwing to Cooks deep in order to open those underneath routes and provide more room for the ground game.

Chris Hogan

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Chris Hogan has been a major piece of the Patriots offense for a couple of reasons. For one, he has the speed to be a downfield threat like Cooks. Hogan is only averaging 13.3 yards per receptions this season—not that that's a poor average—but he averaged 17.9 yards per reception last season, so the deep-threat is real.

Hogan is also quick and shifty in space, so he can play the mid-level receiver role like Amendola and Edelman before him. He's also a premier threat in the red zone—he is tied with Gronkowski for five touchdown receptions, which leads the team.

Unfortunately, Hogan suffered a shoulder injury in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The injury didn't require surgery, but NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported after Hogan's MRI that the receiver could be "out a few weeks."

The bye in Week 9 undoubtedly helped get Hogan some rest, but New England may still need to wait before leaning on him offensively. He hasn't been officially ruled out for Week 10, but he did miss Tuesday's practice, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com.

Once Hogan is back to 100 percent, though, the Patriots shouldn't hesitate to go to him early and often.

Jacob Hollister

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This might not seem like an obvious choice because rookie tight end Jacob Hollister hasn't been a regular part of the offense to this point. In fact, he only has three catches and 37 yards on the season.

However, the Patriots need Hollister to be a bigger part of the offense moving forward. For one, the Patriots offense can be more dynamic with two receiving tight ends on the field. Secondly, the Patriots need to start getting star tight end Rob Gronkowski a bit of rest from time to time.

Gronkowski recently said he's been wearing down in games.

"Some plays here and there, I do good and others I feel like I just don't have it for that one," Gronkowski explained, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. "I've just to play all four quarters, every play, to the max."

The Patriots seem to like what they have in Hollister, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels recently lauded his work ethic.

"Jacob works hard, he's very attentive in meetings, and when he has his opportunities, he learns one way or the other from them, as most young players do that want to get better," McDaniels said, per Tyler Sullivan of 247Sports.com.

Hollister can become an important piece of New England's offense, if the Patriots are willing to rely on him a little more.